Johann Sebastian Bach Vs. Felix Mendelssohn

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was unlike most other composers of his time. “He wrote music for the glory of God, and to satisfy his own burning curiosity, not for future fame.” During the 1700s, people knew him as a talented musician, not as a composer, as we do today. He never left his country to pursue bigger and better things. Bach was content as long as he could play music. Traditions were very important to him. He wanted to carry on the musical tradition of his family, and never opted to change the traditional ways of composing, as did most composers. Bach’s work is vast and unique.

Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, the capital of the duchy of Saxe-Eisenach, in present-day Germany, on March 21st, 1865. He was the son of a musician, Johann Abrosias Bach, who was a director of church musicians, and most likely taught Bach the violin. Bach's mother died in 1694, and his father died less than a year later. The 10-year-old Bach moved in with his eldest brother, Johann Christoph Bach, the organist at St. Michael's Church in Ohrdruf, Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, who most

Johann Sebastian Bach, born in the year 1685, was a German born composer, virtuoso organist and keyboard player, a

Bach’s complex compositional style incorporates religious and numerological symbols that fit perfectly together in a puzzle of musical code. Demanding unfaltering facility in dexterity, precise pitch, particularly in the multiple stoppings, as well as sensitivity to implied polyphonic and harmonic textures. These exceptional works may be the closest thing we have to a “perfect” composition, so why is it that musicians have drastically different alterations and interpretations of his works? It is as if quality, intensity, duration, and even pitch are subject to the performer’s adaptation. By mapping out these alterations performers make to Bach’s music, it becomes possible to map out their respective musical personalities.

Bernstein was born August 25, 1918 in Lawrence, MA to Jennie and Samuel Bernstein (“Rubin”). His love for music began when he was only three and began playing the piano after hearing it at his aunt’s house (“Rubin”). By the time he was a teenager, he was already orchestration several classical concerts all over the state. He attended Harvard University to study musical studies and theatre performance. (“Wikipedia”)

Born in Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany. He had a respected musical extraction and took on various organist positions during the early 18th century, producing famous compositions like Fugue in D major. Currently, he is well-none as one of the greatest Western composers of all time. His started his music career at the age eighteen after his parent had passed away. His father had taught him to play the violin and the harpsichord. “The Fugue has its subject announced in the alto, answered in the tenor, followed by the bass in the pedals and finally the soprano and continuing on an impressive scale to conclude with a sustained upper note, followed by a final tonic pedal below.” (Johann Sebastian Bach Preludes and Fugues ,

Mendelssohn was a famous German composer of the Romantic period. Although he was born into a Jewish family and grew up without a religion he soon became a reformed Christian. Mendelssohn was born with the talent to be able to play instruments and make music, but his parents never really supported his talent and didn’t help him to improve his talent. He went on to pursue what he loved to do and that was to compose and conduct music. Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg, Germany, 1809.

Felix Mendelssohn; a well-known husband, father, son, composer, musician, and one of the most- celebrated figures in the early nineteenth century. Felix Mendelssohn also known as Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was born to a family of Jewish background on February 3, 1809 in Hamburg, Germany. Two years after the birth of Felix his family moved to berlin due to the French occupation of Hamburg. His parents Abraham and Lea Mendelssohn took on the name Bartholdy after being greatly influenced by liberal ideas in which was considered advantageous in conformity with the intention to mark their emancipation from the ghetto by being baptized into Christian faith which took place in 1816. After their new beginning in Berlin and having the

mark on the musical world. From Mozart, to Beethoven, to Chopin, to Brahms, each famous

Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany in 1685, to a family of musicians. In 1965, Bach became an orphan at nine years old when his parents died one after another. Along with his older brother Jacob, Bach went to

Bach, who came from a family of over 53 musicians, was nothing short of a virtuosic instrumentalist as well as a masterful composer. Born in Eisenach, Germany, on March 21, 1685, he was the son of a masterful violinist, Johann Ambrosius Bach, who taught his son

In 1706 Bach decided that he wanted to further his career in music and made the first change by leaving his organ playing position at the church and took upon a new position in Munhlhausen at the St. Blasius as an organist there (Johann Sebastian BACH). This change was for the best because the church was larger and located in a city that was important to the north. A few months after being an organist at the St. Blasius church he married his second cousin Maria Barbara Bach. After a year of Bach being a organist for St. Blasius, he was offered a better position in Weimar. Bach took the offer with pride and became their new court organist and concertmaster at the ducal court. Johann and Maria Bach decided to start their family, after their first born child, Marias unwed sister moved into their home to help with raising their children. Maria and Johann Bach had a total of seven children. The gifted musically talented family continued as two of Bach children, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach became vital composers following the baroque period.

Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21st 1685. He is the son of Johann Ambrosius. For many years, members of the Bach family had held positions such as organists, town instrumentalists, or Cantors.

Felix Mendelssohn’s music was unique. It was unique because in the song “A Mid Summer Nights Dream” it starts of all stoft with violins and flutes and clarinets. Then it has a beat in the middle that changes the whole song to upbeat and fast. Then in the song “String Quartet No. 6, Op. 80 it is very loud and upbeat then in the middle it slows down then at the very end it is very soft and quiet.

Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg in 1809. His father Abraham Mendelssohn was a banker, while his mum Lea Mendelssohn was a highly educated artist and musician. Mendelssohn first had his piano lesson from his mum, but soon he was sent to study with the best teachers at that time such as Marie Bigot and Ludwig Burger. He also took composition lessons with Karl